iPhone supply weak in Manhattan stores, worldwide

Despite the iPhone 3G launching Friday, potential owners are still lining up to purchase one, but even Apple's flagship Manhattan stores are starting to run dry, and are placing limits on the constant long lineups. In calls to the Fifth Avenue, SoHo and West 14th retail locations, representatives tell MacNN that they each expect lineups to last four to five hours, and are informing others that join the line that the stores can not accommodate them, since the store will be closed by the time staff could service those customers.

Stock is also running dry at the three stores, mirroring situations in smaller cities with all three stores completely out of 16GB black models. White 16GB iPhones are still available, as well as 8GB models, but the representatives expect the stock will only last them for the remainder of today.

The iPhone 3G has already become a tremendous success, having sold over 1 million phones on its opening weekend, dwarfing the previous iPhone's achievement of 74 days. Carriers see the device as a boon, such as Rogers Wireless in Canada, when a representative admitted the iPhone was the biggest seller the company has ever put in its product lineup.

Filed under: iPhone, industry, Apple
Other story tags: retail, 3G, Manhattan, Fifth Avenue, SoHo